Middle School Student Under House Arrest After Making Threats

BEL AIR, Md. (WJZ) — Frightening threats at a Bel Air school. Now a 13-year-old is under house arrest.

Meghan McCorkell has more on how the boy was caught.

This all happened at Saint Margaret Middle School, which is run by the Archdiocese of Baltimore. The Archdiocese is now cooperating with authorities.

Investigators say it was a staff member at Saint Margaret Middle School in Bel Air that first alerted authorities that a student was making frightening threats.

“There were multiple occasions where he threatened to do bodily harm to other students at school functions,” said Maryland State Police Det. Sgt. Jeffrey Thomas.

One parent tells WJZ the 13-year-old boy made a “hate list” with names of students from St. Margaret and Bel Air Middle School. That parent says he bragged about plans to shoot the people on the list. That’s when police stepped in.

“In the aftermath of the Sandy Hook shootings, we don’t want a repeat of something like that here in Harford County,” Thomas said.

The Archdiocese tells WJZ that emails were sent home to all of the parents at Saint Margaret to inform them of the situation.

State police detained the boy at the school and charged him with making threats and disturbing school operations. During an emergency hearing, a judge put him under house arrest.

Investigators say they don’t believe the teen had the means to act out the alleged plan; however, they are increasing patrols outside the school for the rest of the year.

The Archdiocese says the 13-year-old boy will not be allowed back to the school for the rest of the school year.

That 13-year-old boy will be under house arrest for 30 days.

Meghan McCorkell

Meghan McCorkell joined the Eyewitness News team in July 2011 as a General Assignment Reporter.
She came to Baltimore from Columbus, Ohio where she spent nearly three years at WSYX/WTTE. While there, she traveled to Haiti to cover relief efforts...